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Functional clothing-Principles of fit

Article  in  Indian Journal of Fibre and Textile Research · December 2011

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Indian Journal of Fibre & Textile Research
Vol. 36, December 2011, pp. 344-347

Functional clothing— Principles of fit

Lynn M Booradya
Department of Technology, Buffalo State College, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222, USA

This paper focuses on the aspects of fit in functional apparel. Fit typically refers to the appearance and comfort of a
garment but this alone is insufficient for functional garments. Hence, a third requirement ‘functional ease’ has been
introduced which refers to the need of the functional garment to be able to adapt to the movement of the individual while
maintaining its purpose. Functional apparel can be as simple as the use of a special fabric in athletic gear to a complicated
enclosed environment which must incorporate a life support system. Lab and field analysis of movement is recommended
during the design process and once the prototypes are developed. Visual cues to proper fit are discussed. The options of
adding flexibility and elasticity to the functional garment are given with suggestions on how to obtain variability in fit and
enhance function of the garment. The fit of functional garments is considered successful when the needs of the wearer are
balanced with the required functionality of the garment.

Keywords: Anthropometrics, Field testing, Functional apparel, Functional ease, Motion analysis

1 Introduction well fitted garment should have no wrinkles when the

The fit of clothing is an issue that has often person is standing still. Balance is achieved when the
concerned researchers, retailers, apparel garment is symmetrical and hangs away from the
manufacturers and consumers but its importance body identically on the right and left sides of the body
becomes paramount when working with functional (assuming the design allows for symmetry). Ease
clothing. Fit typically has two aspects – comfort and refers to the difference between the body
appearance. Comfort is decided by the individual measurement of the person and the corresponding
wearing the garment and appearance refers to the measurement of the garment. Ease, which affects
look, style and fashion of the garment1, 2. Fit must take movement, will be discussed in more detail later.
into account the shape of the wearer, texture, drape These five basic factors are, however, the generalized
and weight of the fabric, and how the garment is rules to follow and may not apply to all garments,
worn. Fit is typically determined with the person certainly not to all functional garments.
standing still and upright. In the case of functional Fitting a fashion garment can be difficult not only
garments, what is worn in conjunction with the due to the balancing of the five factors but due to the
garment and the ability to accommodate the fact that people are all different shapes and sizes.
movement of the body is also important. Very few people have exactly the same measurements
Judging fit in fashion apparel involves five basic that a manufacturer uses to determine the size of a
factors, namely the grain of the fabric, the garment. Manufacturers develop their own size charts
construction lines, the set of the garment, the balance based on their experience and customer feedback.
and the ease2. Grain refers to the lengthwise and Designers may interpret the fit of a garment for
crosswise yarns woven together to create fabric. The various styles differently than the consumer.
lengthwise grain should fall perpendicular to the floor Fit, while difficult to achieve in fashion apparel,
and the crosswise grain should be parallel to the floor. takes on a new dimension when discussing functional
The construction lines should lie on the body in the garments. While a person likes to look good and good
proper position; the shoulder seams sit on the fit is a variable of this, looks often become secondary
shoulder, the side seams run down the side of the in functional apparel. Functional clothing must fit the
body and remain perpendicular with the floor. body so that the person can move, sit and perform
Horizontal seamlines, such as a waistline are parallel work duties or athletic activities. Functional garments
to the floor. Set of the garment refers to the idea that a serve a purpose, such as protecting the person wearing
_________ the item and this purpose is paramount. However, this
a
E-mail: booradlm@buffalostate.edu purpose may be compromised due to poor fit.
 BOORADY: FUNCTIONAL CLOTHING—PRINCIPLES OF FIT 345

2 Functional Ease when the person is standing still and erect, yet can
Traditionally, there are two types of ease required still perform functions such as typing on a keyboard,
when fitting garments; the first is the wearing ease, or sitting and driving a car. Functional clothing must
the amount of ease needed in order to allow the allow for full coverage in all positions, even extreme
person to move and perform everyday tasks3. The positions, and this will alter what would be considered
second kind of ease is the design or style ease. This a good fit. The design of the garment may take
type of ease is chosen by the designer to create the movement into account – bellows or pleats on the
silhouette desired. For functional garments, a third back to allow for arm movement, or a crotch gusset to
kind of ease needs to be determined — functional allow for leg extension for example. Good fit for
ease, which is given to allow movement. functional clothing is considered when the garment
The amount of ease differs for the type of garment allows the body to function and neither restrict the
and end use. A garment worn next to the body would wearer’s movements nor interfere with their required
have less ease than one intended to be worn over tasks.
clothing. When layering garments, you not only have
to take into consideration the extra bulk the under 3 Movement Analysis
layer adds but the friction which may be caused by Mobility and motion are closely related to fit in
fabric surfaces. Standard ease guidelines give functional garments. Individuals must be able to move
minimum or average requirements for wearing in their protective garments without straining
ease4,5. For example, ease around the chest should be themselves or being restricted. Firefighters must be
3 inches, the waist should have ½ inch and the hips able to move quickly if a building is about to fall and
should have 2 inches. Garments which go over other athletes require range of motion in order to play a
garments, such as a suit jacket, would have additional sport. Minimally, the individuals must be able to
ease to accommodate the extra layer of clothing and perform their job or activity without worry of a
so ease for this garment may be 3- 6 inch around the reduction or restriction of movement.
chest depending on the style6. Knit fabrics require less Mobility in functional garments is often restricted
ease than wovens and how much ease is required can due to bulky layers or rigid protection. There may
be determined by the amount of stretch inherent in the also be a trade-off required – less padding for more
fabric. The ease for woven fabrics will vary mobility. The more layers of padding added, the less
depending on the weight of the fabric; heavier fabrics likely the individual will be able to perform certain
require more ease. functions. The designer of functional garments may
Typically, fit refers to clothing that hangs smoothly need to create a solution for these issues in order to
from the shoulders and does not sag, bind, pull, twist provide the level of protection required as well as the
or cling to the body while standing still. Clothing level of movement.
must also adjust to movements without strain. Good An analysis of the movements while performing
fit allows the wearers not to think about their clothing on-the-job tasks must be ascertained. This can be
but go about their day with confidence. Standard ease accomplished in numerous ways – observation,
guidelines cannot always be used to guide the photographic analysis, questionnaires, surveys and
designer of functional clothing. The five factors of fit interviews are some suggestions. A combination of
are not always achievable when working with these methods is often advised in order to account for
functional garments as it is not always possible for the a variety of methods and differentiation between sub-
shoulder of the garment to lie on the shoulder of the groups. For example, firefighters in one part of the
person; perhaps they are wearing a self-contained United States prefer to enter fire engulfed buildings in
breathing apparatus and the functional garment is a squat position, while other fire departments prefer to
resting on that unit. It is not always necessary or enter while standing. This method is referred to as a
desirable for the seams to be perpendicular to the multi-method field analysis and can help in the design
floor or that every wrinkle is taken out. or redesign of a garment7.
Ease will also need to be added to the functional Analysis of movement can take place in a
garment depending on the movement required for the laboratory and the action can be filmed or
workers to complete their tasks. Street clothing is photographed for later analysis. While the conditions
considered good fitting if the garment looks good would be contrived, the action required would be well
346 INDIAN J. FIBRE TEXT. RES., DECEMBER 2011

documented. Individuals should be wearing minimal therefore fit must be determined for the body as it
clothing in order to record the full range of movement moves and changes positions. This is particularly
required without hindrances. It is often suggested to important in the development and fit of functional
have the participant wearing or holding the garments. If the workers cannot perform their duties
accessories needed in order to perform their required without being hampered by their garment, then the
duties. For example, if you are looking at ice hockey garment must be determined not to fit. A live model
players, having them hold their hockey sticks while can also verbalize any discomfort, pulling or other
performing the action would give a more realistic issues pertaining to fit. It is recommended that a
image of their posture and movements. It could also prototype be constructed to test the garment for its
help the individual in recreating the actual movements intended end use.
in the unnatural or unfamiliar laboratory setting. Individuals have many body shape differences and
Full motion analysis, which will not be covered it is difficult, if not impossible, to take into account all
completely here, would entail understanding how the the possible variations. Body shape plays a role in
angles of the body change while in motion and by determining the fit of garments. Observation and
what amount. The individuals may be required to judgment of the shapes and contours are the best tools
reach above their head or bend to the ground on their when determining fit9. However, it should be noted if
knees. These extreme movements would require the functional garment, or any of the items worn
additional fabric in the places of expansion, in the while performing the tasks required, change the
case of bending to the ground this area would be over posture of the individual. The individual may lean
the buttocks and knees. forward to offset the weight of a heavy item placed on
While much can be ascertained in a lab setting, a their backs, such as a self-contained breathing
field visit is recommended so that the designer may apparatus or a tank filled with pesticides. True fit
view the participants in their own environment. While must be determined at the point of complete readiness
the individuals are wearing the functional garment, the to perform the job or function.
viewer takes notes as to the positioning of the body. In Once the general suitability of the garment is
particular, extreme positions must be identified and ascertained, trial testing by actual end users is
later referred to when adding ease to a garment to avoid suggested. A wrinkle analysis is considered a valid
restricting the wearer8. Photographs can also be taken method of collecting data on the fit of a garment.
and analyzed later. Issues to identify include the Tight wrinkles indicate areas where more garment
direction of wrinkles in order to identify areas of strain, ease is needed for a particular movement. Areas,
excess or sagging fabric, and common working where the fabric hangs loose at all times, may need to
positions. Also note what items are worn with the have the amount of fabric reduced in that location.
garment such as a hat, glasses, boots or shoes, street Pattern alterations are typically necessary in order to
clothing, gloves, and helmets as the final garment must achieve good fit.
be able to work with all supplemental items.
When a body moves against fabric, it can take extra
energy to push against the fabric. If this is an issue, 5 Adjustable and Flexible Fit
the design of the functional garment should Since these garments need to fit people of varying
incorporate a working position in that area. This is sizes, adjustability may be an added requirement.
when a permanent bend is put into the design of the Being able to alter the fit of the garment is important
garment, by the use of patterning, the addition of in order to have it function properly for an unknown
pleats or the lengthening of fabric is advised to relieve population with a variety of body types and sizes.
some of the pressure. Bicycle shorts are made with a Functional clothing has a higher need for adjustability
bend at the hip and with a higher rise on the back in because the need for functional use is imperative. One
order to accommodate the position of the rider. In this way of achieving an alterable fit is to build in
way the rider is expending energy only in pedaling the adjustability. Differences in width are easier to adjust
bike and not in keeping their legs bent at the hip. than in length. The use of lacings, hook and loop tape,
ties or other systems may prove beneficial in critical
4 Visual Analysis and Prototype Testing fit areas of the garment. This type of system can
Visual analysis of the garment is essential to obtain provide the opportunity for adjustability to fit a wider
good fit. Garments are not made for mannequins and range of individuals.
 BOORADY: FUNCTIONAL CLOTHING—PRINCIPLES OF FIT 347

A series of lacings, similar to a corset, can reduce Other fasteners could also be used to provide
the size of the garment and bring it closer to the body. adjustability in fit. A series of buttons with a variety
This type of adjustability can be time consuming and of buttonholes at different locations, hook and eyes,
may be used in conjunction with a second method, buckles and straps, rows of snaps and even separating
such as hook and loop tape. For example, the first zippers are all options to consider.
time a garment is worn it can be laced to the
individual wearing it. Subsequent uses would then 6 Conclusion
only require the secondary method for donning and Fit is considered successful in protective clothing
doffing. An example of this method would be the when the needs of the wearer are achieved along with
American football shoulder pad system; the closest the required functionality of the garments. This is a
shoulder size is chosen and the set of pads is fit to the delicate balance to achieve.
body with lacings at the center front and center back. Depending on the requirements of the situation,
The padding system is then secured to the body with a functional clothing could be a simple layer of fabric
strap that secures the back section to the front section or a very complex and multi-layered system.
around the chest. This strap is also adjustable to allow Whichever it may be, fit of the garment to the
for ease in donning and doffing. individual in order to allow for both the garment to
Elastic can also be used to allow adjustability in fit function as designed and for the individual to work as
of protective garments or equipment. Shin guards, used required is of great importance and one of the biggest
in high impact sports such as ice hockey, have a rigid challenges faced. In order to provide sufficient
plastic front and elastic backs to allow the guard to fit protection, the performance of the individual may be
snugly in place but allow for movement of the athlete. altered or hampered. This balance must be continually
Adjustments can be built in to the design of the assessed throughout the design and fitting process.
garment. An example of a length adjustment could be
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